I really enjoyed creating one of my favorite members in the “Great Contributors” series, William Shakespeare. Shakespeare is a complicated dude and I struggled with what type of narrative & circumstance I wished to depict him in. I decided on an antique bench with intricate carving and detail. Sculptures within and accompanying the bench refer to Shakespeare’s subjects and life - such as the comedy & tragedy masks, King Lear’s crown, and maquettes of Romeo and Juliet. Romeo sits atop the bench, right behind Shakespeare, reading aloud from his writings. Juliet leans out from around the bench to spy on her beloved Romeo, anxious to hear the words he speaks.

The comedy mask subtly scoffs at Mr. William as he contemplates the tragedy of life, peering at an antique skull. So many of his plays included the mortality element – interesting that he personally checked out prematurely at age 52 after a night on the town. I personally love the skull idea – I think it adds mystique and an eerie realism to the piece. An inkbottle and quill pen accompanies William as he holds the freshly written manuscript rolled in a scroll and held in his left hand. The back of the bench includes in relief letters a brief history of this world’s most influential and admired playwright - along with other subtle reminisces of his works –a fairy or goblin or two from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.

As with all sculptures that I create, numerous hours of study and research were undertaken to not just make sure that Shakespeare's features looked accurate, but so that I can internalize the information, and thus what comes out in my creation captures my emotion and feelings and not just a replication of someone else’s image of the playwright. With the right elements surrounding Shakespeare on the bench, I am satisfied with the piece as a whole and wish for people to sit with, and be inspired by my interpretation of William Shakespeare.